Sunday, March 10, 2013

Move to create awareness about synthetic diamonds

Penetration of synthetic diamonds in world's biggest diamond
cutting and polishing centre in Surat has become a major cause of concern for
the Indian diamond industry leaders.

Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council plans to create
awareness among the diamond manufacturers and traders about the threat that the
synthetic diamonds could pose to the diamond industry in India and the
importance of the 3Ds, that is, disclosure, differentiation and detection.

GJEPC in association with Indian Diamond Institute (IDI) and
Gemological Institute of India (GII) will organize a seminar on 'identification
tips and techniques related to synthetic diamonds' at IDI's City Centre campus
in Vesu on March 16.

The objective is to create awareness among the diamond
manufacturers, especially the diamond traders about the lab grown diamonds, and
provide them with tips and techniques which would enable them to effectively
differentiate between lab grown and natural diamonds.

Executive director, GJEPC, Sabhyasachi Ray told TOI,
"The lab grown diamonds have really become a potential threat to the
industry. We are targeting the diamond traders, both rough and polished diamond
dealers, so that they can accurately differentiate between the synthetic and
natural diamonds."

In May 2012, International Gemological Institute (IGI),
world's leading gemological laboratory, had issued a trade alert in India about
the huge volume of synthetic colourless diamonds in the market after it
received more than 600 synthetic colourless diamonds for grading at its lab
facilities in Antwerp and Mumbai last week.

It was followed by an alert by De Beers' Diamond Trading
Company (DTC), which noted that undisclosed stones had also appeared at
National Gems & Jewellery Technology Administrative Centre (NGTC) lab in
China, some few days ago.

Synthetic diamonds have become increasingly popular
throughout the past years, as they give off a beautiful luster and an authentic
look similar to natural diamonds. There are two basic methods that are used
when it comes to the production of synthetic diamonds. The most common
technique is called the High Pressure High Temperature process. Scientists take
pure carbon and place it in a controlled environment with an equal amount of
very high pressure and very high heat. This process produces a stone that is
very similar to the natural diamonds.

Another technique is called Chemical Vapour Deposition or
CVD. The CVD process includes a specially created environment that is just
right for carbon atoms to be used as a gas to go on to a wafer of a diamond in
a crystalline formation by a form of layers. The process was first introduced
in 1980's and it does not require a huge amount of pressure to make the
synthetic diamonds, like in HPHT.